The first was the peculiarity of a manager manning a position during batting practice. The second was how Mattingly wore the glove on his left hand and threw with his right.

Mattingly, of course, is left-handed.

Sure enough, when he turned to throw the ball to the catcher his feet weren’t quite sure where to step — or in what order — and his throw just sort of arched its way to the target rather than arrive on a sure, straight line.

In other words, the sequence looked a bit uncertain.

For Mattingly’s sake, let’s hope the position he assumes in the Dodgers’ dugout and clubhouse this season cuts a more commanding look — and the results reflect it.

Not to say this is a make-or-break season for the fourth-year manager, but considering the financial commitment ownership has made in him and a high-priced club that fell one step away from the World Series last season a level of expectation is in place.

“We’re the Dodgers. We’re an all-caps franchise. We’re not a lower-case franchise,” club President Stan Kasten declared. “We should be contending every year.”

Championship or bust?

“I have an owner, a former point guard, and he would tell you that for sure,” Kasten said, laughing.

He was referring to Magic Johnson, of course, the prominent face of an ownership group that’s investing more than $250 million in this year’s star-studded roster.

“I mean, let’s put it this way,” Kasten continued. “We’re supposed to be contenders every year.”

And we all know when expectations aren’t met on a baseball field, especially for a team with a payroll soaring higher than any club in the Major Leagues, the first finger pointed is always directed at the manager.

“I am, in a sense, in charge of on the field and the way we (play),” Mattingly conceded. “And I feel a responsibility for that.”

So, late October baseball or else?

The Dodgers’ first World Series title since 1988 ... or heads will fall?

Maybe not quite that drastic. But close.

The Dodgers are built for the long and short haul, their abundance of starting pitching deep enough to absorb the rigors of a 162-game season and the dominance of Clayton Kershaw and Zach Greinke at the top of the rotation an ideal one-two punch.

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The offense can be as good as any club anywhere, especially if Matt Kemp’s body cooperates and Hanley Ramirez and Adrian Gonzalez repeat what they did last season.

And in mercurial right-fielder Yasiel Puig, the Dodgers have a dynamic force that can win a game in a variety of ways.

All the pieces are in place. There are no excuses, short of an injury riddled roster, for the Dodgers not to be playing deep into October.

And that means the man standing at the top step in the dugout is very much accountable if objectives aren’t met.

“But it’s not a greater sense of responsibility,” Mattingly insisted. “I’ve felt it from the very beginning.”

In fact, he embraced the scrutiny when he let it be known after last season he wasn’t keen on returning in 2014 if it meant working without the security of a multi-year contract — or repeating the awkwardness of managing in 2013 on an expiring one,

The Dodgers relented and locked up Mattingly with a three-year deal.

But the protection of financial security comes with a tag line — and in Mattingly’s case it reads: for whom much is given, much is expected.

Mattingly got the monetary security he was seeking, and the hammer he needed to manage as he sees fit.

In return the Dodgers handed him the keys to a high-priced Ferrari.

And they expect him to drive it all the way to October.

As he settles back in the driver’s seat, Mattingly doesn’t need MapQuest for directions.

“I think definitely we have high expectations for ourselves,” Mattingly said. “There’s no doubt about that. I’m not going to deny that at all.”

Perhaps, but if the Dodgers arrive in late September and the playoffs aren’t assured or within reach, let the blame game commence.

Across the field in the opposing dugout, Angels manager Mike Scioscia felt a similar degree of heat, if not for different reasons.

Four consecutive years of under-achievement, including two seasons with the mighty Albert Pujols teaming with young superstar Mike Trout, has left the long-time manager as vulnerable as ever.

Owner Arte Moreno has spent millions upon millions with the additions of Pujols and Josh Hamilton and C.J. Wilson and locking up Jered Weaver and now Trout, who just agreed to a six-year, $145 million extension.

All he has to show for it is four years in a row without a playoff appearance.

Moreno, perhaps out of deference to the manger who guided the Angels to their only World Series title in 2002 and six playoffs appearances from 2002 to 2009, has shown unusual patience during the playoff drought considering all the money he’s invested.

But it’s hard to imagine Scioscia surviving another year without the postseason.

The makes the pressure especially thick in Anaheim.

“From a personal basis I feel it more than anybody because I have high expectations for what we want to achieve and what we’re capable of achieving,” Scioscia said.

The Angels have re-worked the rotation, added high-priced veterans, imported new third baseman David Freese and traded a popular local product in Mark Trumbo in trying to assist Scioscia in getting back to the playoffs.